The Charlie Hall chase at Wetherby has always been a firm family favourite race as for us it always heralded the start of the jump season proper.

This year’s race has the look of an intriguing contest with Long Run (5/4 Coral), the undoubted class of the race heading the betting. On official ratings he will take some beating and odds against may look a massive price come 3.45pm on Saturday.

We plan on taking him on though as he has needed the run on his previous pipe openers and may find an improver go past him as he did last year with Silviniaco Conti. Beneffcient looks the value selection in the race each way (10/1 Bet 365) for trainer Tony Martin. He has had a sharpener on the flat and that fitness edge on the field could prove crucial. He is 4lbs better off with Harry Topper (8/1 Bet Victor) for a length and a half beating at Newbury last November and showed improved form at Cheltenham when running riot in the Jewson.

Second favourite Unioniste (7/2 Coral) is entitled to respect considering his connections but his best form last season came when the going was very soft and may find others swifter of foot.

The Channel 4 racing coverage begins with an ultra-competitive mares hurdle at 1.50pm with last year’s winner Une Artiste bidding for a repeat performance. This seems to be her time of year winning 5 of her 6 starts from October-January so fresh may be the best time to catch her. Mischievous Milly improved with every outing last year, culminating in a very smart listed win at Taunton. Her weakest effort was on her debut when turned over by a rival now rated 117 on the quickest ground she faced. It's harsh to punish her too much for that but she may prove better when the mud is flying.

L'unique won a Grade 1 in the spring albeit a weak one for the grade but that level of form must be respected at this level. The penalty she has for that win may force her to play second fiddle in the four year old stakes to Cockney Sparrow who made a mockery of an initial handicap rating of 130 at Aintree in April. Fit from the flat, beating staying on Cesarewitch 7th, Jonny Delta at Ayr she has the fitness edge over the field which could see her as the biggest challenger to Une Artiste.

The other Wetherby race sees the much anticipated reappearance of At Fishers Cross, one of last seasons most exciting novices. He won't need to be at his best to win this and at the current price (10/11 with Bet365) he looks banker material.

The 2.10pm at Ascot looks a real head scratcher to find a racing betting tip of a race with plenty needing fitness to be taken on trust and many rapid improvers last year having to prove that they are up to their revised marks. Grey Gold, Fairy Rath and Greywell Boy certainly fit the above. The latter pair fought out a great finish over C&D in April with Nick Williams 6 year old likely to come out on top at the weights. He looked a rapid improver when sent handicapping last season and he may be able to keep improving this. Grey Gold was rather handed his latest win on a plate but may have won anyway if his main rival hadn't fallen at the last. If that form is taken at face value, a handicap mark of 137 is very fair indeed.

Recent runs will give Avoca Promise and Get It On a fitness edge and both deserve respect but they have better form over further and a specialist two miler may just outspeed them. Temple Lord has been a model of consistency for connections and he may run into a place again.

The 2.45pm is another tricky race to work out when looking for a winning betting tip. Shotavodka and Jumps Road were both progressive novices last season but hit a wall on their handicap debuts, both are capable of further improvement this year. Court Minstrel was another who had a very successful time of things last season. 149 looks a tough mark to begin this year although he may well be capable of defying it later in the season. This is the easiest task Get Me Out Of Here has had for a while and having been competitive off similar marks in the Tote Gold Trophy and Coral Cup in previous seasons he could well find himself very competitive off top weight. His Excellency is quite heavily raced for a 5 year old and this is likely to just be a fitness exercise for him but off a mark 12lbs lower than his chase mark he may be capable of running a big race. The Channel 4 racing betting tip for the 3.45pm however is the John Ferguson trained Pine Creek who ran well when pitched right into the deep end on his handicap debut in Sandown's Inperial Cup. Fitness shouldn't be a concern and this lightly raced son of Doyen should be far better than a mark of 130 sooner rather than later.

The United House Gold Cup at 3.20pm is likely to be a solid form guide for the winter with young up and coming chasers a plenty. There isn't much between Opening Batsman and Rolling Aces on Kempton form from February with the Paul Nicholls inmate preferred of the two. Third to them in that Kempton race was Duke of Lucca who travelled nicely on his seasonal debut at Chepstow before looking badly in need of the run from 4 out. He was second in this race last year from an 8lb higher mark and looks capable of going close if stripping fitter. Al Co won the aforementioned race at Chepstow, picking up the pieces late on when the leaders folded but this requires further improvement. Houblon Des Obeaux is respected on his novice efforts and Twirling Magnet brings solid recent form into the race but Nicky Henderson's Triolo D'Alene gets the vote for our betting tip in the 3.20pm on Saturday in the hope he can resume in the same vein of form he showed when winning at Aintree over the National fences in the spring.

In Northern Ireland, the JN Wine Champion Chase sees Sizing Europe (5/2 generally) taking on First Lieutenant (3/1 Paddy Power). Preference is for the latter over the trip with Sizing Europe having been turned over in this race twice before and never looking a natural 3 miler. Everything else looks to have plenty of work on at the weights and this is best left to the favourites to fight if out between them.

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